Elon Musk Finally Invents What You Really Need--Toys That Change The World

First the flamethrower, now this.

Welcome to your week--off to a major fun start with Elon Musk promoting his latest money-maker to help get our species safely to Mars. The dream of many kids of all ages comes true today: "real LEGO:"

New Boring Company merch coming soon. Lifesize LEGO-like interlocking bricks made from tunneling rock that you can use to create sculptures & buildings. Rated for California seismic loads, so super strong, but bored in the middle, like an aircraft wing spar, so not heavy.

Musk tweeted the news from travel in Israel and Jordan, where he's been touring ancient stuff made from earth like Petra and Masada. He promises these bricks will be ready to remake some of ancient Egypt, including the Sphinx and the Temple of Horus, a sky god often drawn in a form dear to SpaceX: a falcon. They'll also be functional, including features like:

Good for California seismic loads (not that he's checking)

Lightweight (hollow--like cinderblocks) and lifesize

Flamethrower proof (naturally)

Boring Company bricks are poised for May

While humor is certainly reeling in fans of the brick plan, there's a serious undertone. Musk mentioned that the new bricks will be available in May. That's presumably for the Chicago-to-O'Hare tunnel that The Boring Company just got shortlisted for. That winner will be notified in May.

The Boring Company's FAQ has a clear perspective on the value of the Lego-like bricks Musk just announced. One of the waste products of tunneling is dirt. The company foreshadowed these bricks earlier, down to a Pyramid reference:

In typical tunneling projects, excavated dirt is shipped offsite to disposal locations. This process is costly, time-consuming, noisy, and can be environmentally hazardous. The Boring Company is investigating technologies that will recycle the earth into useful bricks to be used to build structures. This is not a new concept, as buildings have been constructed from Earth for thousands of years including, according to recent evidence, the Pyramids.

Boring Company bricks hit paydirt?

In addition to the potential Chicago project, Maryland is enlisting The Boring Company for 10 miles of tunnel. The Boring Company's goal is to reduce the cost of tunnel construction by 10x. Having onsite brick-making for tunnel lining is yet another way to build more efficiently. Plus, the company says concrete accounts for almost 5 percent of the world's greenhouse emissions--these bricks made at the source, less so. And of course, they'll be helpful building the Musk mansion on Mars. Stay tuned, but it looks like Musk's "toy" blocks might just hit pay dirt.